‘Godzilla’ matches gift-openings

Start Christmas morning with the 2001 thriller “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah” (9 a.m., Sci Fi). Nothing adds to a cacophony of Christmas morning like the sight of giant reptiles crushing cars all over Tokyo. And it’s a nice accompaniment to the sound of packages being torn open and the shredding of gift-wrapping paper.

After an onslaught of Nutcracker renditions and “Dirty Dancing” knockoffs, you may begin to pine for a world in which fancy footwork has been forbidden. Return to the magic of “Footloose” (11:30 a.m., VH1), the 1984 fantasy in which Kevin Bacon helps a small town get its groove back.

“Meet Me in St. Louis” (11:30 a.m., TCM) has little to do with Christmas, but Judy Garland’s rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” helped turn that sad little ditty into a holiday evergreen.

Truman Capote reportedly hated the 1961 Hollywood adaptation of his novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (5 p.m., Oxygen), but viewers have embraced Audrey Hepburn’s stylish Holly Golightly for nearly half a century.

By day’s end, you’ll be hoping your guests and relatives are “Spirited Away” (7 p.m., Cartoon Network). Like all of director Hayao Miyazaki’s work, this animated film about a child’s discovery of ghosts and wild and legendary creatures in an enchanted forest has the feel of a cinematic epic.

If these TV diversions don’t get you through the day, check out the ongoing Christmas marathons. On TBS, “A Christmas Story” is in steady rotation, ending at 8 p.m.; FX is offering a day’s submersion in “Ice Age” until 9 p.m.; and TV Land features a steady stream of classic Christmas-themed shows, ending with the 1963 episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” (6:30 p.m., TV Land) in which Barney tries to convince Andy it’s time to find a new wife.

Other highlights

Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest co-host the “Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” (9 a.m., ABC).

The Miami Dolphins host the New Jersey-based New York Jets in NFL action (5:30 p.m., ESPN).

Chris works as Santa’s helper on “Everybody Hates Chris” (8 p.m., CW).

Johnny Depp channels his inner Keith Richards to bring insouciant swagger to the 2003 romp “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (8 p.m., ABC).

Cesar Millan trains humans to set their dogs straight in three consecutive episodes of “The Dog Whisperer” (8 p.m., National Geographic).